This month: Promises, promises

23rd to 30th October is observed as One World Week. This year, the One World steering group has made a list of 40 promises that we could make as individuals to help make the world a better place for everyone. Here are some of them.

Promises, promises...

I promise to...

* Turn my television off at the set and not use the remote control to leave it on stand-by.
Why? Because it uses 85 per cent as much electricity to keep the little red light on as when watching TV – energy that is completely wasted.

* Sign the Gift Aid form on every donation I make to charity.
Charities can then reclaim the tax that you would have paid on the donation, no matter how small it is - adding 28.2 per cent to the amount you give.

* Eat more Brazil nuts.
Because it gives South American farmers a good reason to grow trees instead of cutting them down for wood or charcoal.

* Turn the tap off when I clean my teeth.
Because what is the point of all that water going down the drain?

* Try new fairly traded products.
Because the number of products bearing the Fair Trade logo has just topped 300, and you’ve only tasted a fraction of them!

* Ensure I use biodegradable products to wash and package everything.
Because they break down much quicker than their equivalents and so do less damage to the environment.

* Return something I have borrowed and failed to return.
Because everything that makes us more inclined to share generously releases money that can be used in the interests of the world’s poorest people.

* Write on every piece of paper twice.
Because every piece of paper has two sides: so it’s half the waste and half the expense!

* Eat less meat.
Because rearing a kilogramme of meat requires some 100,000 litres of water, but producing a kilogramme of wheat takes only 900 litres of water.

* Buy organic sugar.
Because conventional sugar beet is the most highly sprayed crop on the planet, but organic crops pollute less and are better for wildlife.

* Eat local fruit and vegetables.
Because a jet-lagged kiwi fruit creates five times its own weight in carbon dioxide emissions to get to the UK, whereas a Bramley apple (from your local farmers’ market or farm shop) is sweet, green, luscious and mouth-watering.

* Buy wood bearing the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo.
Because wood consumption has doubled in 35 years, and the FSC logo confirms that your furniture came from a sustainably managed forest and was not illegally logged.

* Take a shower.
Because it saves 50 litres of water to take a shower instead of a bath.

* Take action against injustice.
Because whether it is an apparent miscarriage of justice which has been reported in the media, or a local event in your school, community or workplace, writing a letter is a powerful tool on the side of right.

* Go outside my home, clear up some litter, rip up some weeds, and tidy up the clutter.
People will then get more pleasure out of walking along the street.

* Start a direct debit to an agency that works alongside the world’s poorest people.
Because when charities have regular income, they can plan better and use the money in more efficient ways.

* Turn down the temperature my water is stored at to what I really need instead of consistently finding it too hot and, so, adding cold.
As well as saving energy and money, you will never scald your toes again!

* Make compost.
Because although 60 per cent of household rubbish could be composted, 80 per cent of it is ending up in the local landfill site.

* Ensure that all the paper used in my bathroom is from recycled sources.
Your bottom deserves the best!

* Give life-changing presents.
Because a recent survey suggests that £2bn is spent ever year in the UK on presents that are unwanted.  But, through Oxfam or Christian Aid (among others), you can buy packages that deliver a beautiful card to your friend, and chickens, medical equipment or a goat to a family in the developing world.

* Stop taking disposable carrier bags from the supermarket.
There is nothing to stop you bringing your own shopping bag or using your old plastic bags again and again.

* Stick to the speed limit.
Because traffic is the single biggest killer of 12 to 16 year olds in the UK and, travelling at 35mph, you are twice as likely to kill someone you hit as at 30mph.  Also, slower driving means less fuel use and lower carbon dioxide emissions.

* Switch to an ethical bank.
Because it is good to know that your savings don’t finance the arms trade or hold developing world debt.

* Recycle my old mobile phone.
Because the cadmium from one phone is sufficient to poison a small swimming pool of water.

* Make a will.
Because only about a third of people in the UK die with an up-to-date will, and it is a fantastic way of leaving a long-lasting gift to a charity that works alongside the world’s poorest people.

* Find out about a religion that I do not know much about.
Because, while all the world’s major religions advocate peace, people’s perception is, increasingly, that religion is a cause of violence. Greater understanding decreases suspicion and increases friendship.

* Make friends with my neighbours.
Because it forges a sense of community.

You can find the the rest of the promises on www.oneworldweek.org

Spotted by Helen Little.